Cabinet combination section having a ventilation device

ABSTRACT

A cabinet combination section has a ventilation device. The ventilation device has a first air duct for conditioning outdoor air and supplying the conditioned air as supply air to a room and a second air duct for removing return air from the room and discharge the return air as exhaust air to the environment. The ventilation device comprises various components including a fan. The components are situated in the first air duct and/or in the second air duct. The cabinet combination section has a lower section, a middle section and an upper section lying on top of another. The components of the ventilation device are situated in the lower section and/or the upper section of the cabinet combination section.

PRIORITY CLAIM

Applicant hereby claims foreign priority under 35 U.S.C § 119 from SwissApplication No. 01011/06 filed Jun. 23, 2006, the disclosure of which isherein incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cabinet combination section having aventilation device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A first air stream, which is supplied as supply air to a room, and asecond air stream, which is removed as return air from the room andsupplied as exhaust air to the environment, flow through the ventilationdevice. The ventilation device contains various components including afan, which are used for the purpose of exchanging heat and/or moisturebetween the first air stream and the second air stream, the componentsbeing connected to one another by corresponding lines. Such ventilationdevices are known from the prior art.

For example, a plate heat exchanger having an integrated electric filterand a cleaning device for cleaning the electric filter is known from US20060191413. The plate heat exchanger is used for exchanging heatbetween two air streams.

A moisture exchanger for exchanging moisture between two air streams isknown from US 20050072303. Such a moisture exchanger essentiallycomprises two cavities which are separated by a structure permeable towater vapor. The structure permeable to water vapor separates two airstreams, but allows the exchange of moisture between the two airstreams.

An air-conditioning device is known from GB 1335886, which has a heatexchanger, an air filter, a cooling assembly, a fan, a humidifier, and ameasurement and control unit. The air-conditioning device is placed in acabinet which has the conventional appearance of the other cabinetswhich are used in a kitchenette, for example. Because the volumeoccupied by this air-conditioning device is quite large, itsinstallation in a kitchen has not become widespread on the market. Theventilation devices are therefore typically installed in the basement ofa house. In a single-family house, this occurs without great difficulty.In multifamily houses, in particular in apartment buildings havingmultiple apartments lying one on top of another, installation in thebasement is disadvantageous. To ventilate the individual apartments,pipeline systems must be installed. The pipeline systems, which may havepipe lengths from several tens of meters up to more than 100 meters,reduce the efficiency of the ventilation device. In addition, the dangerarises that foreign particles, such as solids or even bacteria or fungi,will collect in the pipeline system. In particular the warm and moistexhaust air, but also the moist fresh air, form ideal conditions for thepropagation of bacteria or fungi in the pipeline system.

The present invention is based on the object of improving a ventilationdevice and/or configuration in such a way that it may be installed moreeasily and efficiently in a kitchen and/or in a living space.

A living space is understood here as any room located in an apartment ora single-family house, such as a kitchen, a bedroom, a living room, anoffice, or a hallway.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The stated object is achieved according to the present invention by acabinet combination section having an installed ventilation device, thecabinet combination section being executed in the design of theindividual elements or modules of a cabinet combination of a livingspace or in the design of the individual elements of a kitchencombination, if it is installed in a kitchen, the cabinet combinationsection essentially having a lower section, a middle section, and anupper section, which are situated one on top of another. If the floor ofthe middle section is a freely accessible work surface, the componentsof the ventilation device are only situated in the lower and/or uppersection. In contrast, if the middle section accommodates a cookingdevice which does not fill up the depth of the cabinet combination, suchas a microwave oven or a coffee machine, the components of theventilation device are situated in the lower and/or upper section and/orin the room remaining between the kitchen device and the rear wall ofthe cabinet combination. In this variation, the components of theventilation device and the cooking device may use the same supply lines.

A cabinet combination of this type may be situated both in single-familyhouses and also in individual apartments of a multifamily house. Thedecentralized installation of the ventilation devices allows individualinvoicing of the ventilation costs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of thepresent invention and, together with the detailed description, serve toexplain the principles and implementations of the invention. The figuresare not to scale.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a cabinet combinationsection according to the present invention having an installedventilation device,

FIG. 2 shows a schematic vertical sectional view of a cabinetcombination section, and

FIG. 3 shows a schematic vertical sectional view of a further cabinetcombination section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a cabinet combination section 1.Typically, multiple such or similar cabinet combination sections areassembled to form a cabinet combination, either built on orfreestanding. If the cabinet combination is installed in a kitchen, thenone refers to a kitchen combination. The present invention is explainedon the basis of a kitchen combination for this example. The cabinetcombination section 1 shown in FIG. 1 is thus a kitchen combinationsection. A kitchen combination is understood as the equipment of adomestic kitchen or an industrial large kitchen, e.g., of a restaurantor a cafeteria. A kitchen combination typically comprises multipledifferent or identical kitchen elements which are combined with oneanother modularly. Such kitchen elements are, for example, cabinets,drawers, rotating cabinets, electrical kitchen devices, niches, worksurfaces, sinks, etc. Examples of electrical kitchen devices aresteamer, oven, microwave oven, dishwasher, refrigerator, coffee machine,stove and vapor exhaust, etc.

Typically, such a kitchen combination is installed along the walls of akitchen. Such a wall is provided with the reference numeral 2. However,it is also possible that a kitchen combination or parts of a kitchencombination are situated in the middle of a room. In the event of such aconfiguration, one skilled in the art refers to a freestanding cookingisland. The kitchen combination sections typically have a standardizedwidth B and a standardized depth T. The standardization of thedimensions is advantageous, because it allows simple replacement ofindividual kitchen elements if they have reached their service life orif a new device is to be installed. The standardized dimensions may bedifferent from country to country. In Switzerland, the standardizedwidth B of the kitchen combination section is typically 50 cm, 55 cm, or60 cm.

The kitchen combination section shown in FIG. 1 essentially comprisesthree sections in the vertical direction, namely a lower section 3, amiddle section 4, and an upper section 5, and contains a ventilationdevice. The lower section 3 stands on a kitchen floor or a console. Allthree sections together have a height H, the height H being equal to orless than the room height of the kitchen. The distance between thekitchen floor and the floor 6 of the middle section 4 is preferablybetween 0.8 and 1.2 m, which corresponds to an ideal working height. Thefloor 6 of the middle section 4 may be a freely accessible work surfacewhich may also extend over multiple neighboring kitchen combinationsections. Alternatively, an electrical kitchen device 7 may be situatedin the middle section 4, in particular a microwave oven, a coffeemachine, a steamer, a stove, and/or a vapor exhaust. This kitchen device7 situated in the middle section may be operated especially comfortablyby the user. The niche in which the kitchen device 7 is situated mayalso be referred to as a recess 8. There is an intermediate spacebetween the wall 2 and the rear wall 9 of the kitchen device 7, throughwhich supply lines may be guided to the kitchen device 7.

The ventilation device comprises a first air duct 10 (FIG. 2) forsupplying outdoor air, which flows into the kitchen as supply air, and asecond air duct 11 for the removal of return air from the kitchen, whichis discharged to the environment as exhaust air, as well as variouscomponents 12 such as fan, filter, heat exchanger, moisture exchanger,humidifier, dehumidifier, cooling assembly, etc. These components 12 areused for conditioning the outdoor air, so that it may be supplied to thekitchen as supply air at a desired temperature and a desired humidity.The conditioning of the outdoor air is advantageously performed in anenergy-saving way, by exchanging heat and/or moisture between the airflows flowing in the first and second air ducts. Suitable heatexchangers and moisture exchangers are known, for example, from US20060191413, US 20050072303, and WO 2007012213. The components 12 of theventilation device may also form a conventional air-conditioning system,however.

If the middle section 4 of the kitchen combination section isimplemented as a freely accessible work surface or as a stove with orwithout a vapor exhaust, the components 12 of the ventilation device aresituated in the lower section 3 and/or the upper section 5 of thekitchen combination section.

If an electrical kitchen device 7 is situated in the middle section 4 ofthe kitchen combination section and an intermediate space remainsbetween the rear wall 9 of the kitchen device 7 and the wall 2, thecomponents 12 of the ventilation device are situated in the lowersection 3 and/or the upper section 5 and/or in this intermediate space.The installation of a steamer, a microwave oven, or a coffee machine inthe kitchen combination section which contains the ventilation device isespecially advantageous, because on one hand the depth of these devicesis less than the depth T of the kitchen combination section, so thatindividual components 12 of the ventilation device find space in theintermediate space, and because, on the other hand, these devices andthe components 12 of the ventilation device may be supplied withelectrical energy and/or water via the same supply lines. Because analready existing line system may be used, it is accordingly possible innew and also in already existing kitchens to install the components 12of the ventilation device without great effort. The user is sparedcomplex processing of masonry.

FIG. 1 only shows individual components of the ventilation device, butnot the air ducts 10 and 11, which connect the components 12. FIG. 2shows an example of the ventilation device in a lateral section ofFIG. 1. If the kitchen device 7 is provided, as in FIG. 1, the two airducts 10 and 11 are situated between the wall 2 and the rear wall 9 ofthe kitchen device 7. If, as in the example of FIG. 2, the floor 6 ofthe middle section 4 is implemented as a freely accessible work surfaceor placement surface or is a washbasin, the two air ducts 10 and 11 aresituated between the wall 2 and the cover 13. The depth T_(A) of therecess 8 may be less than the depth T of the kitchen combinationsection, for example, because the recess 8 is provided for placement ofa kitchen device whose device depth is less than the depth T of thekitchen combination section. This is the case for a freestanding coffeemachine, for example. In this case, at least one component of theventilation device may be situated behind a cover 13 delimiting therecess 8.

The first air duct 10 opens into the kitchen in this example, but it mayalso deliver a part of the supply air into other rooms via correspondingair ducts.

The ventilation device contains at least one fan as one of thecomponents 12 to set the air stream in the first air duct 10 or the airstream in the second air duct 11 into circulation. The fan is aventilator or another pump, for example. It is advantageous to controlthe operation of the fan with the operation of a further ventilationmeans, such as a vapor exhaust, as is used for a stove, for example, orthe ventilation of a bathroom. FIG. 3 illustrates such an exampleschematically. A cabinet combination section similar to the example ofFIG. 2 is shown on the left side in FIG. 3. The ventilation devicecontains a fan 14, which is situated in the second air duct 11 forremoving the return air. A vapor exhaust is shown on the right side ofFIG. 3, which, as is typical, comprises a vapor exhaust hood 15, anexhaust air duct 16, and a fan 17 situated in the exhaust air duct 16.The fan 17 is a ventilator, for example. The vapor exhaust may be placedin the kitchen combination section 1 shown in FIG. 3 or another locationin the kitchen. Control means 18 control the fan 14 according to thefollowing function: at a high exhaust power of the vapor exhaust (and/orthe ventilation of the bathroom), the fan 14 conveys a smaller airvolume flow out of the room than at lower exhaust power. The formationof a partial vacuum in the kitchen (and/or in the bathroom) and/or inthe entire apartment is thus prevented. The exhaust action of the vaporexhaust is not impaired. Therefore, there is no or only a reducedpressure drop in the apartment. The control means 18 obtains therequired information about the exhaust power of the vapor exhaust eitherfrom a controller of the vapor exhaust or by detecting the speed of thefan 17 or the air volume flow conveyed by the fan 17. For this purpose,a sensor is provided, for example. The control means 18 is, for example,integrated as shown in the front of the upper section 5 of the kitchencombination section 1 where it is accessible to the user in auser-friendly way. The control means 18 may, however, also be placed atany arbitrary other location. The second air duct 11 and the exhaust airduct 16 may be guided individually to the ambient air, or they may openinto a shared ventilation duct already before the exit into the ambientair.

Alternatively, the air stream in the second air duct 11 may be reduced,for example, using means 19 for reducing the air stream situated in thesecond air duct 11, such as a throttle valve or a pneumatic valve, sothat the cited means 19 may throttle the outgoing air stream in thesecond air duct 11 if an air stream occurs in the exhaust air duct 16 ofthe vapor exhaust. Such means 19 are also shown in FIG. 3.

A combination of reducing the return air flow by the correspondingcontroller of the speed of the fan 14 and using the means 19 forreducing the air stream is also possible.

A further possibility is to provide a sensor 20 which measures the airpressure existing in the room, and, depending on the embodiment, toreduce the air stream in the second air duct 11 in the event ofunderpressure by reducing the speed of the fan 14 and/or a correspondingsetting of the means 19 for reducing the air stream, so that the airpressure in the room remains the same as in the ambient air. The sensor20 is integrated in the control means 18, for example. The control means18 control the speed of the fan 14 and/or the cited means 19 as afunction of the output signal of the sensor.

A reduction of the partial vacuum also has an advantageous effect if awoodfired oven or an open fireplace is provided in the apartment. Theequalization or stabilization of the pressure conditions has theadvantage here that the vapor exhaust and/or the ventilation no longerimpairs the exhaust of the smoke through the chimney.

If the kitchen comprises multiple kitchen combination sections 1, likethe one shown in detail in FIG. 1, neighboring one another, the kitchendevice 7 may also be in a neighboring kitchen combination section.Because the corresponding supply lines are already provided in theneighboring kitchen combination section, the above-mentioned advantagesare also provided in this case. The lines have to be guided through thepartition wall which is located between the two kitchen combinationsections here.

The external temperature of the external walls of the house oriented tothe north are known to be cooler than the remaining walls. To operatethe ventilation device as optimally as possible, it is advantageous tohave the air ducts 10 and 11 exit to the environment on a wall orientedto the north. Because the kitchen is frequently oriented to the north,it is therefore advantageous to situate the ventilation device in thekitchen.

In the present embodiment, it is obvious that the kitchen device 7 has adepth which is less than the standard depth T. Instead of such a kitchendevice 3, however, another of the above-mentioned kitchen elements mayalso be used.

While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown anddescribed, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art having thebenefit of this disclosure that many more modifications than mentionedabove are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein.The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spiritof the appended claims and their equivalents.

1. Cabinet combination section having a lower section, a middle sectionand an upper section situated one on top of another and further having aventilation device, wherein the ventilation device has a first air ductfor conditioning outdoor air and supplying the conditioned air as supplyair to a room, wherein the ventilation device has a second air duct forremoving return air from the room and discharge the return air asexhaust air to the environment, wherein the ventilation device hasvarious components which are arranged in the first air duct and/or inthe second air duct, and wherein the components of the ventilationdevice are situated in the lower section and/or the upper section of thecabinet combination section.
 2. Cabinet combination section according toclaim 1, wherein an electrical kitchen device is situated in the middlesection, the electrical kitchen device having a depth that is smallerthan a depth of the cabinet combination section, and wherein at leastone component of the ventilation device is situated behind the kitchendevice.
 3. Cabinet combination section according to claim 1, wherein themiddle section is formed as recess with a free accessible floor. 4.Cabinet combination section according to claim 3, wherein a depth of therecess is smaller than a depth of the cabinet combination section andwherein at least one component of the ventilation device is situatedbehind a cover delimiting the recess.
 5. Cabinet combination with acabinet combination section according to claim 1, wherein a fan issituated in the second air duct and wherein a control means controls aspeed of the fan depending on a power of a further ventilation means. 6.Cabinet combination with a cabinet combination section according toclaim 2, wherein a fan is situated in the second air duct and wherein acontrol means controls a speed of the fan depending on a power of afurther ventilation means.
 7. Cabinet combination with a cabinetcombination section according to claim 3, wherein a fan is situated inthe second air duct and wherein a control means controls a speed of thefan depending on a power of a further ventilation means.
 8. Cabinetcombination with a cabinet combination section according to claim 4,wherein a fan is situated in the second air duct and wherein a controlmeans controls a speed of the fan depending on a power of a furtherventilation means.
 9. Cabinet combination with a cabinet combinationsection according to claim 1, wherein a means for reducing the airstream is situated in the second air duct and wherein a control meanscontrols said means for reducing the air stream depending on a power ofa further ventilation means.
 10. Cabinet combination with a cabinetcombination section according to claim 2, wherein a means for reducingthe air stream is situated in the second air duct and wherein a controlmeans controls said means for reducing the air stream depending on apower of a further ventilation means.
 11. Cabinet combination with acabinet combination section according to claim 3, wherein a means forreducing the air stream is situated in the second air duct and wherein acontrol means controls said means for reducing the air stream dependingon a power of a further ventilation means.
 12. Cabinet combination witha cabinet combination section according to claim 4, wherein a means forreducing the air stream is situated in the second air duct and wherein acontrol means controls said means for reducing the air stream dependingon a power of a further ventilation means.
 13. Cabinet combination witha cabinet combination section according to claim 1, wherein a fan issituated in the second air duct and/or a means for reducing the airstream is situated in the second air duct, and wherein a control meanscontrols the fan and/or said means for reducing the air stream dependingon an output signal of a sensor measuring an air pressure prevailing inthe room.
 14. Cabinet combination with a cabinet combination sectionaccording to claim 2, wherein a fan is situated in the second air ductand/or a means for reducing the air stream is situated in the second airduct, and wherein a control means controls the fan and/or said means forreducing the air stream depending on an output signal of a sensormeasuring an air pressure prevailing in the room.
 15. Cabinetcombination with a cabinet combination section according to claim 3,wherein a fan is situated in the second air duct and/or a means forreducing the air stream is situated in the second air duct, and whereina control means controls the fan and/or said means for reducing the airstream depending on an output signal of a sensor measuring an airpressure prevailing in the room.
 16. Cabinet combination with a cabinetcombination section according to claim 4, wherein a fan is situated inthe second air duct and/or a means for reducing the air stream issituated in the second air duct, and wherein a control means controlsthe fan and/or said means for reducing the air stream depending on anoutput signal of a sensor measuring an air pressure prevailing in theroom.